Jar

ABSTRACT

A new jar has (among other features) at least two chambers separated by a fixed partition. Each chamber is at least as broad as it is deep and has an opening through which food that is dipped from the chamber can be removed. The two openings of the chambers face in opposite directions. And a lid covers each opening.

BACKGROUND

This patient application is about jars to hold salsa and other foods orthings to be dipped.

When you use a tortilla chip to dip salsa from the bottom of a jar, it'shard to get the salsa out without smearing it all over your hand orwrist.

You'd think that salsa makers would have figured a way around this messa long time ago. But they haven't. Check the grocery store salsadepartment if you doubt this.

Several improvements to jars have been proposed to reduce the mess.

One suggestion was to make jars shallower and stack them (United Statespatent publication 2008/0011701), and the same idea appeared in UnitedStates patent publication 2007/0164021.

In a different approach to neater dipping, the bottom of the jar can bepushed up to make the salsa reachable (United States patent publication2005/0133511).

A recent article in Newsweek (Jul. 21, 2008) reported on a peanut butterjar that is said to have “straight interior walls and twist-off lids onboth ends.”

SUMMARY OF OUR IDEA

We have thought of a simpler, more elegant, easier to make, and fun touse jar for salsa (and lots of other foods).

In broad concept, our new jar has (among other features) at least twochambers separated by a fixed partition. Each chamber is at least asbroad as it is deep and has an opening through which food that is dippedfrom the chamber can be removed. The openings of the two chambers facein opposite directions. And a lid covers each opening.

In applying this broad concept to actual jars, one or more of thefollowing features can be incorporated. The jar may be round and made ofglass. The two chambers may be identical in shape and size. The jar mayhave an hourglass shape. Each lid may be metal and may screw on. shapeand size. The jar may have an hourglass shape. Each lid may be metal andmay screw on. There may be a label that implies that the jar can beflipped. Or there may two labels, one for each chamber. Food in each ofthe chambers may have a consistency to be dipped. The two chambers maycontain the same food or different foods. The foods in the two chambersmay be paired by taste or use. The lids may have shapes that conform toan hourglass. The lids may have elements to mate with other lids. Insome examples, each chamber may be at least twice as broad as it is deepand may hold at least 8 ounces of food.

Other concepts and features of the new jar will become clear from thefollowing description and the legal claims that follow the description.

FIG. 1 shows a jar viewed from the side.

FIG. 2 shows two stacked jars viewed from the side.

DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW JAR

As shown in the figures, an example of the new jar 10 has two chambers12, 14 to hold portions 16, 18 of salsa or other food to be dipped fromthe chambers when the food is to be eaten or used. The two chambers canhold the same food or different foods. Different foods can be paired toreflect taste or convenience. For example, one chamber could hold salsathat is hot while the other holds mild salsa.

Other foods that could be held in the chambers include hummus, salsa,guacamole, peanut butter, jelly, tapenade, and sun-dried tomato paste.Paired foods could include peanut butter and jelly, hummus and ranchspread, guacamole and salsa, sundried tomato spread and olive spread,and chocolate spread and peanut butter spread. Both savory and dessertfoods would be suitable.

The two chambers are shaped as identical bubbles that are round inplanes (such as plane 19) that are perpendicular to a central verticalaxis 20 of the jar. In the dimension 22 that is along the centralvertical axis, each of the bubbles has an opening 24, 29. The chambercan be filled with food through the opening (during manufacture) and thefood can later be dipped out of the chamber through the opening to beeaten or used. The two openings face in opposite directions (up and downas shown in FIG. 1).

The sides 26, 28 and bottoms 30, 31 of the chambers have gentlecurvatures and are linked by transition regions 33, 34 of sharpercurvature. We use the word bottom to refer to the wall of each chamberthat is opposite the opening.

The bottoms 30, 31 of the two chambers are separated by a flat wall 39that keeps the foods in the two chambers separate and makes the jarstronger.

The outside surface 38 of the jar, like the inside surfaces of thechambers is round in planes (such as plane 19) that are perpendicular tothe central vertical axis of the jar. Along the length of the verticalaxis, the outside surface has convex sections 40, 42 linked by a concavesection 44. This combination makes the jar stronger and suggests anhourglass, in that way implying that the jar can be flipped over, as anhourglass would be, and used with either end up. The necked-down part 44of the hourglass also provides a good grip for flipping the jar.

The convex sections of the outside surface incorporate straight segments43, 45 on which labels 47, 49 can be glued. The labels can bear brandnames 48, product names 50, ingredients 52, directions 54, nutritionallistings 56, and other information. The text and graphics on each labelcan have the same orientation as the opening and bottom of the chamberon which it is glued bear to one another. The label on the bottomchamber then appears upside down, adding interest and implying that thejar can be flipped over to dip food from the bottom chamber (which, ofcourse, becomes the upper chamber once the jar is flipped). Graphicalelements 58, 60 on the labels can reinforce the implication that the jarcan be flipped over.

Two identical round metal lids 62, 64 seal the openings of the chamberswhen food is not being dipped and allow dipping from a chamber when itslid is opened or taken off. The lids have flat tops 66 and sides 67 thatcontinue the curvature of the outer surface of the jar. As shown in FIG.2, stacking the jars, for example, on a store shelf or in a pantry,creates an attractive continuous curvature of the jars and the lids andenhances the hourglass theme. To make the stack more stable, each lidcan include mating ridges and grooves 68, 70. The mating grooves andridges also strengthen a stack of jars held inside a shipping box.

Each chamber is shallow enough 72 and broad enough 74 so that the salsaor other food can be dipped easily from all areas of the bottom of thechamber even using typical tortilla chips, without getting salsa on thehands, wrists, arms, or clothes of the user or otherwise creating adisgusting mess. The breadth and depth of each chamber are chosen sothat each chamber holds enough salsa to satisfy at least two peopleduring a sitting and so that the jar is easy and cheap to make, fill,ship, market, and use. In some examples, each chamber is at least asbroad as it is deep. For example, each chamber could be 2 inches at itsdeepest point from the opening along the vertical axis and 4 inches wideat its broadest point and contain 8 ounces of salsa. The wall of the jarcould be ⅛ inch thick.

Each lid screws onto its opening using ridges on the inside of the rimof the lid that mate with ridges 80 on the outer surface of the opening.The mating ridges are configured so that the lid can be unscrewed inless (for example, much less) than a full turn and easily removed. Thismakes the user comfortable that when the jar is flipped over and flippedover again, it will be easy to get to the salsa in the either of thechambers and re-close the chambers over and over again.

A user of the jar can dip food from one chamber, close the chamber, flipthe jar over, open the other chamber to dip the other food, and repeatthe process over and over again. Or all of the food in one chamber canbe used before starting on the food in the other chamber.

The jar provides a new way to package, serve, and eat foods that can bedipped. As much of the food can be packaged and served as in a regularsized deep salsa jar, but it is possible to dip all of the food, evenfrom the bottom of the jar without a mess. Putting one chamber upsidedown next to the other makes the jar fun and fanciful to look at anduse. Because two different foods can be packaged in the jar, a variedeating experience can be provided. In some cases, by packaging twodifferent foods that are related by taste or use, the jar provides aconvenient way to keep the two foods together and easily accessible. Allof these advantages and others offer unusual marketing, advertising, andlabeling opportunities that can yield higher sales. The unique qualitiesof the jar can help to establish a special brand image for foods thatare packaged in it.

Although we have described one example of the new jar, a very widevariety of alternatives are also within the scope of the legal claimsset forth below and other claims to which we may be entitled.

For example, the shapes of the sides of the jar need not imply anhourglass. The sides could be straight, or have other contours. The jaralso need not be round, but could be square or triangular or of anothergeometric shape. Or the shape could be free-form. Artistic andsculptural shapes and surfaces could be used.

The jar need not be made of glass. Crystal, plastic, metal, paper,cardboard, laminates, aggregates, stone, and other materials would besuitable.

Other sizes and proportions could be used. Each chamber could be deeperor broader or both. The ratio of depth to breadth could be different.The size of the opening of each chamber relative to the dimensions andconfiguration of the chamber could be other than the one describedearlier. The two chambers could be different in size, shape, andconfiguration. The two lids also could have different sizes, shapes, andconfigurations.

Each lid need not be screw-on, but could be attached in a different way,for example, by pivoting around a bracket mounted on the outside surfaceof the jar. Or a friction fit could be achieved using a resilientmaterial or configuration. The lid could be attached permanently andhave a reusable door or opening through which the food could be dipped.In some cases, the lid could only be usable once, for example as a peelopen top. In this case, once the lid is open, it would be smart to useall of the food in that chamber before flipping the jar over.

There could be three or four or even more chambers in a single jar, eachwith its own opening and lid. For example, four chambers could bearranged at equal intervals around an axis. Of course, there are manyother possibilities for the number and configurations of jars havingmore than two chambers.

Any kind of food that can be dipped or scooped can be stored in thechambers. The foods need not have a consistency like salsa but could beharder, softer, thicker or thinner. Dry foods can be stored, such asnuts and candies. The foods can be stored in pairs in the chambers. Thepairs can relate by taste, use, style, or consistency.

What is stored in the chambers need not be food at all, but could be anythings (or any pair of things) that are to be dipped without leaving amess on the dipper's hands, wrists, arms, or clothes. These couldinclude building and industrial materials such as glues, putties,lubricants, coatings, and cleaners, domestic materials, such ascleaners, soaps, medicines, cosmetics,

The labels need not be applied in two different orientations. Otherlabel arrangements could be used. The jar need not have a special shapeto accommodate the labels. There could be a single label or more thantwo.

In some cases, one or more tools to dip the contents of the chambercould be attached to the lid or the jar. Each tool could have a specialshape to make dipping easier, faster, or more effective.

1. A jar in which, among other features, there are two chambersseparated by a fixed partition, each chamber contains a food that has aconsistency to be dipped, the foods in the two chambers are differentand are paired to reflect taste or convenience, the outside surface ofthe jar has convex sections corresponding to the two chambers and aconcave section corresponding to the fixed partition, each chamber hasan opening through which food that is dipped from the chamber can beremoved, the two openings face in opposite directions, the jar has twolids, each of the openings is covered by one of the lids, the outsidesurface of the jar bears two labels, one for each of the chambers, andthe two labels bear text and graphics that respectively have oppositeorientations so that when one of the openings of the jar is facing up,the label for the corresponding chamber appears right side up, and thelabel for the other chamber appears upside down.
 2. The jar of claim 1in which the jar is round.
 3. The jar of claim 1 in which, among otherthings, the jar comprises glass.
 4. The jar of claim 1 in which the twochambers are identical in shape.
 5. The jar of claim 1 in which the twochambers are identical in size.
 6. The jar of claim 1 in which the jarhas an hourglass shape.
 7. The jar of claim 1 in which the lid comprisesmetal.
 8. The jar of claim 1 in which the lid screws on.
 9. The jar ofclaim 1 in which each of the labels bears text or graphics or both thatimply that the jar can be flipped.
 10. (canceled)
 11. (canceled) 12.(canceled)
 13. (canceled)
 14. (canceled)
 15. (canceled)
 16. The jar ofclaim 1 in which the lids have shapes that conform to an hourglassshape.
 17. The jar of claim 1 in which the lids have elements to matewith other lids.
 18. (canceled)
 19. The jar of claim 1 in which the foodcomprises at least one of hummus, salsa, guacamole, peanut butter,jelly, tapenade, and sun-dried tomato paste.
 20. (canceled)